A Cool Bath. 129 



below the surface of the water, after which we all 

 sat down to a supernumerary meal, consisting of hot 

 preserved Australian mutton and coffee, which of 

 itself, exclusive of the bright daylight which now 

 prevails, would effectually be the means of banishing 

 sleep. 



The fulmars and burgomasters, as usual during 

 the process of flinching, held their noisome and dis- 

 gusting orgies, gorging themselves to such a state of 

 repletion on the refuse pieces of hreng and blubber, 

 as in several instances to be unable to fly away. 



One of the fish captured was completely blind of 

 one eye, the eye-ball being simply a mass of fat and 

 gristle. It had not the appearance of being dis- 

 eased, and in all probability had never been a perfect 

 organ. The ear of the whale, or rather the aper- 

 ture leading to the tympanum, which is situated 

 just behind the eye and about two feet inside the 

 head, is remarkably small, not sufficiently large to 

 admit the insertion of a man's little finger. The 

 drum of the ear itself, when extracted and cleaned, 

 bears a strong resemblance to a large univalve 

 shell. 



Whilst hoisting in one large mass of blubber, 

 the strop to which the tackle was hooked, in con- 

 sequence of the heavy strain, drew through the soft, 

 pinguid substance, which latter falling backwards 

 into the " mollie boat," knocked poor Tom Webster 

 overboard into an unctuous sea of water, blood, and 



K 



